As Time Goes By
by LillyOfTheValley
Summary: COMPLETE REPOST. SEQUEL TO Newsies In Da Future. New and hopefully improved. What is happening a year later in the Newsies world?
1. Like Coming Home

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the repost of the prequel for this story. This is the new and hopefully better version of As Time Goes By. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies characters.

Spot Conlon carefully maneuvered his girlfriend's VW Bug into a parking Spot at the library. He'd borrowed the car to come and get some reading, but he was frankly surprised she'd let him anywhere near it. He'd just gotten his license and was incredibly amazed when she handed him the keys and told him to drop her off at work at the local Starbucks on his way.

As he browsed the library Spot came across a book about 1900 New York and a smile came to his face. The book had him thinking about everything that had occurred in the year since he and his friends had landed in Aria Autumn's backyard. When they arrived they had no idea what to expect from the world around them, but they slowly began to understand. Somehow along the way Spot had fallen in love. Issy was a tiny, fragile looking girl with big grey eyes, long black hair, and an enduring spirit that made him prouder than anyone knew.

Spot's other friends had also found someone in this time. Jack had Harmony, Aria and Mush had found each other, and Cassia and Racetrack were practically inseperable. The only one who was left alone was Cordelia. She and Davie had been getting close when he had decided to take his brother and go home while the others stayed behind. Cordy seemed to be over it, but the healing process had left her harder than before.

In the year since their miraculous appearance in 2006 the newsies' lives had changed dramatically. Besides their love lives, their reading and writing had improved in leaps and bounds, they had all gotten steady jobs and were sharing an apartment, and their accents had almost completely disappeared. Most recently Spot and the others had gotten their drivers' licenses. Spot spent a lot of time at the library learning about everything that had happened in the years between when he was born and where he was now.

Shaking himself out of his memories Spot picked up the book and added it to his small pile, heading towards the checkout desk. He stopped to browse at something on the new release display and cold hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who," a breathy voice asked.

"Whadya want Candy?" he asked rudely, his accent pushing forth along with the aggravation.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked, her voice pouty now.

Spot turned and glared at her. "One, the three inch canary yellow fake nails; two, the cloud of perfume strong enough to keep an entire Broadway cast smelling for weeks; three, the fact that you're the only one who insists on constantly annoying me."

She frowned. "You're not being very nice."

"I don't have to be nice Candy, it doesn't seem to work with you. I told you over a year ago I wasn't interested. Get over it, move on."

"Can't blame a girl for trying," she said in what was certainly supposed to be a seductive tone as she ran a finger down his arm.

He pushed her off. "I can blame a girl for trying. I'll tell you one more time Candy, I don't want ya. Go away." The girl opened her mouth as if to say something then quickly closed it and stomped off in a cloud of embarrassment and cheap perfume.

Spot watched her walked away and shook his head. He picked up his books and heard a familiar laugh from behind him.

"That was quite a display on her part wasn't it?" Issy commented. Spot turned and flashed her one of his rare grins. "It's good to see you smile, you've been so serious lately."

She walked up to him and he kissed her soundly. "What are you doing here? I thought you had to work all day."

She laughed. "It's a long story involving an exploding machine and a serious mess. They sent us all home and I had someone give me a ride over here. I'm glad they did, I wouldn't have wanted to miss her make an idiot out of herself."

"Yeah, nothing penetrates all that hairspray and bleach. She's impossible."

"Well I honestly can't blame her. If I weren't with you I'd be after you, you are pretty sexy," she said, looking at him from under long eyelashes.

Spot marveled at the change in her over the past year as he bent to kiss her again. "Stop, you'll make me blush," he joked. "Come on."

They checked out the pile of books and as soon as Spot turned on his cell outside the doors it rang.

"Where have y'all been?" came Aria's voice on the other side of the connection.

"I've been at the library and Issy was at work for a while, what's goin on?" Issy gave him a curious look and he shrugged.

"I can't really explain over the phone, just get here ok? It's important." Her voice sounded desperate.

"Ok, calm down we'll be there as soon as we can." He hung up and turned to Issy. "We've got to go to Aria's, she won't tell me what's up, just says we've got to get there."

"Okay let's go then." Spot tossed her the keys and they hurried to the car.

When they got to Aria's they found the driveway full of cars. It seemed everyone but Cordy was there. They got out of the car and Spot hit the door first. He opened it and started inside, then stopped in his tracks, Issy slammed into his back.

"What?" she questioned.

Spot shook his head and turned to see her rubbing her collarbone where she'd collided with him. "Ya ok?"

Issy could hear his accent filtering back in and knew something big was going on. "Yeah I'm fine." Spot nodded and stepped into the house.

There on the couch were Davie and Les, filthy and unconscious. The others were ranged around the room, watching the couch in concern, waiting for them to wake up.

"What happened?" Spot asked.

Aria shook her head. "We don't know, they've been out for an hour."

"We were having lunch on break from work and Ari needed to grab some papers from the house. I was getting a drink and they were just there, right where we landed last year," Mush told him.

Spot sat down in a chair and pulled Issy down into his lap. "What could have happened to them?" she asked.

"I don't know, but they don't look good do they?" Cassia asked.

Everyone nodded their agreement and for a long while they went silent. Finally Spot spoke. "Did anyone call Cordy?"

Harmony nodded. "She was having a hard time getting out of work. I didn't want to tell her why we wanted her to come so she didn't have a whole lot of incentive. She'll be here as soon as she can."

A tense silence fell back over the room until the door opened fifteen minutes later to reveal a fuming Cordelia.

"You had better have a damn good reason for this. I practically had to sell my soul to get off of work, I'll be working overtime for weeks. Now, pray tell, what exactly was so important that you had to…" She trailed off as her gaze fell on the couch. "I'm seeing things," she managed weakly.

"Fraid not," Jack told her.

"Well damn," she whispered moments before she fainted dead away. Thankfully Mush was close enough to catch her before she hit the hardwood. He laid her down on the floor gently and stepped back.

"Now we've got three people to wait on waking up," he said. "Anyone game to work on Cordy?"

Issy knelt down and shook her gently but it had no effect. "Harmony, do you have any of that smelly oil crap with you?" she asked.

Harmony's eyes narrowed at the reference. "I resent the phrasing, but yes."

Jack kissed her temple as she dug for the bottle. "I like your smelly oils," he told her.

She smiled at him as she handed to bottle to Issy. "Thank you."

Issy rolled her eyes and uncapped the bottle, waving it under Cordy's nose. The strong oil did the trick and it didn't take long before she was sitting up with a little help. Issy returned to Spot to give her some space.

Cordy turned to stare at Davie and Les and shook her head. "I must be dreaming," she voiced.

"Nah, you're not dreaming," Racetrack told her. "It's all real, we just don't know what happened."

Issy decided to try the oil on Davie and Les and everyone watched as the two boys slowly woke up. As soon as they were both upright Davie looked around the room and sighed. "Hi everyone."

A cacophony of questions and requests broke out. At last Jack whistled loudly to stop everyone.

"Okay, let's do this calmly. It'll make things easier. Davie what happened?"

Everyone looked at Davie and Les expectantly, waiting to hear what had happened. Davie took a deep shuddering breath and began. "Pop got hurt again about five months after we got back so Les and I have been selling papes again. We were coming home for the day when we saw that our building was on fire. The whole thing was engulfed in flames. By the time it was out it was too late. Mom, Pop, Sarah, they were all trapped inside. They're gone. We tried to get in but there wasn't anything left. This is the only place we could think to come. It was the only choice."

The last phrase echoed in everyone's minds, the same thing they'd said about going home. Everyone stood in stunned silence, the guys had all known Davie's family and the loss was devastating.

Jack walked from Harmony's side and fell into a chair, his amber eyes clouding. She couldn't help but feel a flash of jealousy at the pain in his eyes; she knew Sarah had been his first love and that they'd been together at one point. She quickly pushed the feeling away, immediately feeling horrible for being so disrespectful of the dead.

Davie couldn't cry anymore, he had moved beyond to numbness. He tried to catch Cordy's eyes but they were downcast and didn't move from the floor. As abruptly as it had come the sad quiet was broken as Les began to cry. Cassia rushed over to comfort him and for a long while the only sound in the room was his sobs. Feeling bad for moving on but trying to keep her head on straight Aria pulled Mush away from the group.

"I'm so sorry, I don't mean to be insensitive but we've got to figure this out," she said quietly.

"No you're right," he agreed.

"They can't stay here this time. My parents are home and they wouldn't understand. I know your apartment is already crowded but…"

Mush took her into his arms and held her as if she would float away at any moment. "They'll stay with us, we can make room." He kissed her fiercly and cradled her face between his hands. "I don't tell you often enough, I love you."

She smiled up at him. "I love you too."

They moved back to the group. "Davie and Les are staying with us," Mush announced, leaving no room for discussion. All anyone could do was nod.

Davie gathered Les in his arms and bundled him into Issy's car. She and Spot left the group to take Davie and Les to the apartment to clean up and everyone pretended not to notice when Jack chose to go with them rather than stay with Harmony. She gazed out the window as the Bug drove off and unwanted tears flooded to her eyes.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Race told her. "Jack was the closest of all of us to Davie's family. It's just a shock for him."

Harmony's gaze didn't waver. "We both know it's more than that Race. He loved her first, and that's something that never goes away."

"Just give him time Harm, I'm sure it'll be fine." Race told her but he wasn't sure he believed it himself.

"Maybe you're right. But I can't help but fear that I'm going to be pushed away by the memory of a dead woman.


	2. What Have We Done?

Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies characters

Two days later the pain remained but the majority of the upheaval was over. Davie and Les did there best to settle back into the modern world after a year of absence while everyone worked to heal after the shocking news of death. Davie and Cordelia had been avoiding each other like the plague, despite attempts by their friends to open the channels of communication.

Sadly nothing had improved between Harmony and Jack. They hadn't truly seen each other since they'd gotten the news. Every time Harmony was going to be somewhere Jack seemed to disappear. Everyone was beginning to worry about her. The usually upbeat girl had barely spoken in two days, no one had seen her smile and every now and then her eyes would tear of their own accord and she would furiously wipe away the tears. She knew Jack was avoiding her and it made her hurt all the more.

The third day after Davie and Les's miraculous reappearance found everyone in the same room together for the first time since that day. Jack took a seat all the way across the room from Harmony as they gathered to discuss any ideas for where Davie could get a job.

"I think there may be an opening at Starbucks," Issy supplied from her seat on Spot's lap.

Spot wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a squeeze. "It's a good idea is but I'm not sure if that kind of an atmosphere would be good for a first job," he told her. "Somethin quiet would probably be better."

Davie nodded. "Something in an office would probably be good."

"You know I think I read something about the headquarters for a local fast food place looking for someone to do all of their filing," Cassia told him. "Maybe that would work."

"It sounds like a winner to me, we'll have to look into it."

"I don't know if anyone's thought of it, but we'll have to get you into school in the fall Les," Mush said.

"Do I have to?" the youngest of them asked.

"Yeah, you have to," Davie said firmly. "But how are we going to get him in without any records?"

"We'll just do what we did for all of us last year. We've told everyone that we all grew up at the same orphanage out of state and that we don't have any records," Race explained. "With a little maneuvering they issued social security numbers and all that. We should be able to do the same for both a you."

"Good, now that that's settled… can I go?" Cordy asked restlessly.

Aria pushed her friend back down as she stood. "Hold your horses, just stay a bit longer. It won't kill you."

"It may," she muttered under her breath.

Harmony spoke up to ease the tension caused by Cordy's outburst. "I'm interning in the office at the school Les will be going to this fall so I can help him out," she said softly.

"Thanks Harmony," Les said with a smile.

"We'll all be hear to help; none of us girls are going out of state for college and since the guys didn't go to school they can't go," Issy told Davie and Les as she smiled down at Spot a bit sadly.

Racetrack squirmed a bit in his seat at that and Cassia gave him a curious look. He smiled at her and shook his head. "We'll make this work for you guys, whatever it takes," he said.

"Right then, now that this little pow wow is over I'm outa here," Jack said hastily as he headed for the door.

Race looked over and saw the tears that Harmony didn't even notice were there and decided enough was enough. With a quick look at Cassia he got up and followed Jack out the door. He caught up with his former leader halfway down the stairs.

"What the hell are you doin Jack?"

The taller man whirled angrily. "I'm getting the hell outa here. I can't just sit there and listen while everyone else pretends nothing has happened."

Race threw his hands up in the air. "What do you want us ta do Jack, make the world stop turning? We couldn't even if we wanted to. We're all doing what we need ta heal. We never forget, but we have to move on."

"It's not that simple Race. I loved Davie's family, Sarah was the only other woman I ever loved. I can't just get over it."

Race grabbed his friend's shoulders and shook. "Would ya listen to yourself? What about the other woman you've loved. What about that sweet, gentle girl in there who's heart you're breaking."

Jack shook him off. "I just need time Race, y'all will be fine on your own."

"Maybe you don't give a damn about the rest of us Jack but don't do this to Harmony. Don't push her away for a memory."

He shook his head and turned again. "I'm going Race."

Racetrack watched as Jack walked away. He turned dejectedly and found Cassia waiting for him on the doorstep.

"No luck?" she asked.

"Nothing. He just doesn't see what he's doing ta her. All he cares about is his pain an his grief, he doesn't care that the rest of us are hurtin too." Though she knew it was wildly inappropriate Cassia couldn't hold back the giggle. "What?"

"I know it's the last thing I should notice right now, but when you get upset your accent gets really bad, and it's so cute."

Race laughed and hugged her close to him. "That's one of the reasons I love you Cass, you can always cut the tension so easily."

She kissed him then leaned into his side with a smile. "It's a gift."

Race had his hand on the doorknob when the door opened and Cordy flew past them, Aria stood just inside.

"Cordy!"

"I just can't be here Aria," Cordy said as she disappeared down the stairs.

Aria sighed and shook her head. "I don't know what we're going to do about her."

"She's a big girl Ari, she'll be fine," Cassia told her.

"I guess. Come on, lets go inside."

That night when everyone else had either headed out for a date or decided to get some rest Cassia and Racetrack laid together on the couch halfway watching tv.

"Race? Do you think Harmony and Jack will be ok?"

"I wish I could say yes hun, but I really don't know. Lately I seem to be learning more and more that Jack isn't who I thought he was."

She looked up at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

He sighed. "Back in New York I worshiped Jack, even if I never would have admitted it. He was what all of us wanted to be, a really great guy. You've seen that in the past year; but thinking that he could just abandon Harmony like this, it makes me wonder if I had it right all these years."

Cassia snuggled up closer and fitted her head against his shoulder, kissing his neck. "I'm sorry Race."

"It'll be ok, I know that. As long as I've got you things'll be fine."

"Love you."

"Love ya too."

Jack never came home that night. He wandered the streets all night and did the same much of the next day. Sometime around four he was walking downtown when Cordy fell into step with him.

"Hey," she said,

"Go away Cordy, I don't want any company."

She frowned. "Sorry, I just thought we could talk. I may be the only person in our little band who knows what it's like to lose someone."

"Cordy, I lost the first woman I ever loved, I really don't think that compares to Davie leaving before you ever even dated."

She put her hand out to stop his progress. "Look Jack, I just thought we could talk. I mean, you were there for me when Davie left. I thought maybe you and I could understand each other."

He regarded her warily for a moment before nodding. "You may be right, lets get a drink or something."

Not too far away Issy's phone rang as Spot hopped into the car after work. She handed it to him so she could drive.

"Hello? Oh hey Harmony," he said cheerily, all the while looking shooting Issy a concerned look.

"Hey Spot, can you and Issy come and get me? I knew you'd be around about now and my mother had to take my car so I'm stuck at the animal shelter."

"Yeah, we'll be right there." Spot motioned to Issy to take the next left and before long Harmony was climbing into the car. "How are you doing?" he asked as they pulled back into traffic.

"I'm ok I guess, still no word from Jack?"

"Sorry Harm."

Tears came fast again and she willed them to stop. "It's ok, I'm sure he'll turn up."

"Hey Harm, Spot and I were going to go get some ice cream, do you mind if we stop?"

"No that's cool, it may actually be nice," she said, cracking a smile for the first time in days."

"Okay then."

At the local old time soda bar Jack and Cordy sat outside, each holding a drink.

"I just don't know what to do with myself ya know? It's like everything was goin good and then the world got turned upside down," Jack confided.

"I know. I was finally getting my life back to normal and then Davie just poofs up here. I don't know what to do." She looked straight into his eyes and very slowly and deliberately leaned into him. He saw what was coming but made no move to stop her. Their lips met.

It was then that Harmony climbed out of Issy's bug. She saw Jack and Cordy and her already bleeding heart ripped in two. She couldn't help the sob that tore from her throat. Jack and Cordy sprang apart at the sound and both their eyes widened as they saw Issy and Spot and Harmony.

Jack stood and went for Harmony. Cordy got up too and opened her mouth as if to explain herself.

"Don't, don't either of you think there's any way you can explain this away," Harmony yelled, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Harmony please," Jack pleaded. He set a hand gently on her shoulder and she jerked away.

"Don't you touch me! I can't believe you think you can touch me now. You're both out of my life for good, as of this moment. I'm done." She turned and walked towards the car.

Jack moved to go after her but Spot stood in his way. "Don't think that I'm concerned for your well-bein at the moment cause I'm not, but if you go after he we'll be finding pieces of ya in the river for weeks."

"Spot I…"

"Don't even bother man, just don't." He moved to walk away then thought better and turned back to punch Jack, hard. "You deserve more than that, I hope you know."

Issy walked up and Cordy could see the tiny girl's grey eyes darken to a storm. " How could you do this to her? You know how much she loves him!"

"It was stupid Issy, I'm so sorry. If I could just talk to her…"

"No, leave her alone. Don't come around for a while Cordy, no one wants you to."

Issy and Spot walked away, leaving Jack clutching a possibly broken nose and Cordy standing in their wake. She stood there for a moment before shaking her head sadly and walking away.

As Cordy left him alone Jack looked up towards the sky and felt tears gather.

"What have I done?"


	3. Crash Into Me

Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies characters.

By late that night everybody knew what had happened. Davie was shocked, Aria wasn't surprised, and both Cassia and Race were practically spitting fire over it.

"I can't believe she would pull something like this!" Cassia cried.

"I told you Jack had changed," Race countered.

Spot shook his head. "Guys this isn't going to get us anywhere. It felt really good to punch him in the face but it didn't do any good."

"I don't care where it gets me; I want to get my hands on both of them!" Cassia yelled.

Davie could only sit there and periodically shake his head as Spot paced and Racetrack and Cassia yelled. Aria curled up in Mush's lap and they both watched everybody else.

"Guys," Aria said finally. "Getting yourselves worked up this way is just going to make you sick."

Mush nodded. "The best any of us can do right now is try and get some rest and deal with things in the morning."

By the time everyone had calmed down it was late and all they could do was go home and try to get some sleep.

Sometime around three in the morning the phone rang. Mush was the first to get to it. He rolled over and groped for the receiver.

"Hello?"

The voice on the line was unfamiliar. "Is this the residence of Jack Kelly?"

Mush came a bit more awake at the question. "Yeah, yeah it is. What's going on?" As he listened a feeling of dread grew heavy in his chest. "Ok thanks, we'll be there." He quickly rose from bed and pulled on the first thing he found. "Davie. Davie!" He picked up a pillow and threw it hard.

Davie startled awake. "What?"

"Jack is in the hospital."

Davie's eyes widened and he too jumped to action. Mush was already out of the room and rousing Spot and Racetrack. Les woke up in the process and soon they were all awake. Race and Spot were on cell phones calling the girls, but they left the most difficult call for last.

Harmony woke from a fitful sleep to her cell ringing around 3:30. She located it on the floor and put it to her ear. "What?"

"Harmony, you need to get up, Issy is on her way to pick you up."

She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. "Race? What's going on? What happened?"

There was a long pause on the other end. "It's Jack Harmony, he's in the hospital."

She was wide awake after that and began fumbling around the room for her clothes. "What happened Race?"

"He was hit by a car. They won't tell us much but it's bad."

She stopped in her tracks, a horrible idea settling in her mind. "How did it happen Race?"

He knew where she was going. "It's not important Harmony just get ready."

"How Race!"

He sighed. "He was looking for you."

Half an hour later a large group of worried teenagers trouped into one of the waiting rooms at the local hospital. A very disgruntled nurse told them that they would have to wait quietly or else they would be thrown out. She consulted the other nurses and they decided they would have to send the doctor out to the girlfriend since the boy had no next of kin.

They had been there for about ten minutes when Cordy showed up, arms wrapped tight around her body. Everyone gazed at her with undisguised disapproval but she spoke before anyone could say anything. "Look I know I'm the last person any of you wants to see right now, but he's still my friend. I just wanted to know if he was ok."

"We haven't heard yet. How did you even know?" Issy asked.

"Mush called. He thought I had the right to know." When no objections were voiced she sat down a bit away from the group.

Before long Harmony couldn't contain her worries any longer. "This is entirely my fault. If I had just stayed and listened to him none of this would have happened."

"If this is anyone's fault it's mine," Cordy told her quietly. "It's not your fault at all. I knew it was wrong but I went after him anyway. I was upset and I wasn't thinking. It's my fault if it's anybody's."

Spot stood shaking his head. "This isn't anyone's fault. It won't do any good to lay blame here."

"That is certainly true my boy," the doctor said calmly from behind them.

Harmony surged to her feet when she saw him. "Is he ok? Can we see him?"

"Are you Harmony?" the doctor asked. When she nodded he took her aside and spoke to her in hushed tones.

When the doctor walked away Harmony returned to them. She was incredibly pale and she spoke as if on autopilot. "They didn't get a lot out of him before he lost consciousness. He was out in the street, the car didn't see him and he was struck on the right side. He went up on the hood of the car before it could stop. His right leg is broken, his right wrist is fractured. His left ankle is sprained and several ribs are broken. Apparently he's pretty badly bruised and scraped up. There were no internal injuries but they're worried because he has a concussion. His nose is also broken," she concluded with a glance at Spot who looked at the floor.

"And they won't let you see him?"

"Not yet. All we can do for now is wait."

Everyone but Harmony fell asleep as they waited for any news from the doctor. She was staring off into space when Cordelia woke up.

"Harm, I can't tell you how sorry I am."

Blue eyes met brown and she nodded. "I know. I'm not saying that I'm happy about what happened, but I understand why you did what you did. It's all I've been thinking about."

"How can you understand, I don't even get it."

"I know you were in pain. It never occurred to me how hard it must have been for you when Davie got back. You were lashing out and Jack was the first person in your path. I'm not saying you should have done it, but I can forgive you for it."

"You would forgive me that easily?"

She nodded serenely. "I can. It may take some time for things to get back to the way they used to be, but I can forgive you and Jack both."

They sat in companionable silence as one by one the others woke up. At six in the morning the doctor reappeared and Harmony was on her feet in an instant.

"Can I see him now?"

The others waited eagerly for his response. "Yes you can one or two at a time. He wants to see you first Harmony. He's been asking for you."

She nodded and trailed behind the doctor to his room. When she entered her breath caught in her throat and tears sprang to her eyes. "Oh baby."

Jack heard her voice and turned a face colored by angry bruises and scratches to see her. "Harmony, are you ok?"

She hurried to sit by his side and took his uninjured hand. "I am, but you're not. I'm so sorry Jack."

He reached out with his bad hand and brushed a tear from her cheek. "You don't have anything to be sorry about; it's me who should apologize. I shoulda pushed Cordy away, I never shoulda kissed her."

"It doesn't matter; none of it did as soon as I thought I might have lost you."

"That doesn't make it right, I'm sorry I let Sarah's dyin come between us. I should have realized that you're what's important."

She shook her head. "You had every right to grieve for her."

"I took it too far; I'm sorry Harm, for everything that has happened. Can ya forgive me?"

Her tears fell faster. "As far as I'm concerned there's nothing to forgive. I love you Jack."

"I love you too."

Harmony stayed by Jack's side the whole time, forcing everyone to come in one by one. Spot came in after Racetrack. They made small talk for a minute before Spot smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry about the nose Jack, but ya did deserve it ya know," he stated.

Jack smiled and winced at the pain that came with it. "Yeah I know I did. Nice right hook by the way." They both laughed and Spot excused himself to send in the next visitor. When everyone had gone Harmony carefully crawled into the bed with him and nestled in against his least injured side. They stayed like that all day, much to the chagrin of the doctor. That night when visiting hours were over the nurses came to tell her that she would have to leave. But when they saw the pair of them holding each other, sound asleep they couldn't bring themselves to wake them. So they left them to sleep.

The others gathered at the apartment when they got done with work. After the long night and a long day everyone pretty much collapsed. Before long every available bed, couch and chair in the apartment was occupied with sleeping forms. Spot and Issy fell onto his bed in their work clothes and conked out. Cassia and Racetrack took up the couch, Mush and Aria dropped onto his bed, Davie fell into the other bed in the room and Les fell asleep curled up in a chair. Cordy wasn't present since the others were still a bit cross with her. No matter where they were they slept.


	4. Shattered

Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies characters.

A week later, the day before Jack was supposed to go home, Cordy finally worked up the courage to go and see him. She entered the room cautiously and took a seat pretty much across the room.

"Cordy I'm not going to bite you."

She stayed right where she was. "I feel like an idiot Jack."

"Don't worry I feel like a pretty big screw up myself." He shook his head. "I was stupid and I almost lost Harmony."

She met his eyes hesitantly. "And I played a big part in that. I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt Harmony, and I certainly never wanted this to happen to you."

"What happened to me wasn't your fault Cordy; it wasn't anyone's fault but my own. I wasn't paying attention, the driver didn't see me."

She shook her head. "I still can't help feeling guilty Jack."

"I know Cordy, but you shouldn't feel bad. It sounds crazy but I'm thankful for all a this. It's shown me what's really important, and it makes me value what I have all the more. I realize now that Harmony is the most amazing thing in my life. I'm sorry if I ever gave any other impression."

Cordy stood and walked over to the bed. "I think we both know that neither of us actually wanted each other Jack. We were both trying to find an outlet for our pain and the other was handy. That was pretty much it."

"You're right," he said.

There was a knock on the door and Les came in. "Hi, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's okay." In a rare show of emotion Cordy smiled down at him. "I was just leaving. I'll see you later Jack." She walked from the room and almost smacked into Davie. She quickly recovered and passed him. Before she could make a quick escape he grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.

"We need to talk," he commanded.

She jerked away from him. "No, we don't."

He took hold of her again. "Yes we do. I want to know what the hell you were thinking!"

"I wasn't thinking! I screwed up okay? Happy now?"

He shook his head. "No, not even close. How could you do that to one of your best friends?"

The tear that slid down her cheek practically did him in. "You don't think I wonder that myself? You think I don't feel like the scum of the earth already?"

"Cordy, I never…"

"No you brought it up we'll finish it! I was stupid, I betrayed all of my friends and I almost lost Harmony and Jack. I'm a stupid bitch and I'm sorry, and I'll keep being sorry. It's all I can be. But you don't get to demand anything of me David."

"Cordy."

Her voice was deadly quiet when she spoke. "No. You need to know how I feel. I was falling for you, and you left. I never told you, you couldn't have known, but when you left you left me in pieces." She turned and left him alone in the hall.

"Damn it!" He turned around and slammed his fist into the wall.

Later that night Cassia dropped onto the couch at the apartment and snuggled into Racetrack's side with a sigh.

"This has been the day from hell," she announced. "I don't think I've ever dealt with so many jerks in one day."

"That bad huh?" he asked before kissing her softly.

"It was the longest day known to mankind, it's nice to just be able to lay here."

"I second that."

A moment later Davie came out of his room with a bandaged hand and a letter.

"What happened to you?" Cassia asked.

"I had a minor disagreement with a wall, no big deal. This came for you today Race." He tossed the letter. "I'm going to go take a walk."

The door slammed and Cassia winced. "I think his bad day beats mine. What is that hon?"

He ripped open the letter and his eyes lit up as he read through it. "I got accepted into an art program I applied for."

They both sat up and Cassia hugged him quickly. "That's so great. Why didn't you tell me you applied?"

"I didn't think I would get it, it was mostly just a whim. I can't believe it. I mean it's not college or anythin but it's pretty prestigious."

"Baby I'm so proud of you! Where is this place?"

He hesitated. "It's in Florida."

Cassia's skin paled noticeably. "That's halfway across the country," she said shakily.

"I know it's far but it's such an amazin opportunity."

"You're right, it's a great chance." She recovered admirably. "How long would you be gone?"

"A year." He said it so quietly she barely heard.

She stood and wrapped her arms around her body. "I'm sorry, I could have sworn you just said you'd be gone for a year," she said, edging towards hysteria.

"I did, but a year's not so long."

"A year is so long Race. I can't believe you weren't going to tell me about this."

Racetrack stood too and shook his head. "I never thought I would get in Cass but I was always going to tell you if I did."

"I believe you, but you should have prepared me for the possibility that you could be going across the country for a year."

"I'm sorry Cass I didn't tell you but I really never thought it would be an issue."

She took a deep breath. "Okay. When do you have to leave?"

He glanced down at the letter. "Monday."

"I… Monday?"

"Monday."

The first tear fell. "Okay. Well then you have a lot to do before then. I'll leave you to it."

"Cass, don't go."

"I have to Race."

Hours later the others came home and found Racetrack with his head in his hands.

"Race what happened? Where's Cass?" Spot asked.

"I got into that art program," he said miserably.

Mush shook his head. "Ok did I miss somethin, why is that a bad thing?"

"Yeah that should be exciting," Spot chimed in.

"It's in Florida for a year, and I have to leave on Monday."

"Oh, I take it Cassia was upset."

"I don't think upset really covers it. She's devastated." He shook his head.

"Well then I guess you've got a choice to make."

"Yeah I guess I do."

That night Cassia went home and cried herself to sleep. She woke up the next morning with swollen eyes and a pounding headache. She immediately remembered the night before and fought back another wave of tears.

"No more," she told herself fiercely. So she pulled on sweats and went downstairs to make coffee. She worked viciously against the tears pricking at her eyes as she went through the familiar process. Soon she had a cup of blessedly steaming black coffee in her hands and leaned heavily against the counter.

"Cass…"

Racetrack's voice was jarring in the silence and she jerked, spilling coffee down the front of her sweatshirt. "God Race," she cried as she pulled it off. Thankful that the coffee hadn't gotten her t-shirt she threw the sweatshirt at her significant other. "Thanks a lot."

Race set the sweater down. "I'm sorry Cass; I didn't mean to scare you."

"What are you doing her Race?"

"I wanted ta talk about this. I can't stand the thought of leaving here when we're like this."

"You decided to go then?" she asked breathlessly.

He nodded. "Of course I did Cass; this is the most amazin opportunity I ever got. I'm not just going to let it fly by."

"Well good then, I hope you have an excellent year," she said frigidly.

"Cass please don't be this way," he replied desperately.

She threw her hands up in the air. "What do you want me to be like? I'm trying, but it's awfully difficult to be happy about the man I love going halfway across the country for a year and not even warning me!"

"Oh so it's all about you then?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

Her violet eyes flashed like lightning. "Yeah I guess it is about me, and do you know why? Because I love you!"

"Do you think I don't love you?"

The stunning eyes now filled with tears. "I'm beginning to wonder." He hurried to her but she held him off. "Please just don't touch me right now."

"I love you Cass, more than anything in the world, but I need to do this."

"I know you do, logically I do, but I can't…" She paused and took a shuddering breath. "I can't be the supportive smiling girlfriend. I can't do it Race."

"Fine." He turned from her and walked out of the kitchen.

A moment later she heard the door slam. Try as she might to steady herself she couldn't stop her trembling. Her hand shook so bad that the coffee cup slipped from her hands, shattering as it hit the floor. She groaned and bent to pick up the shards then went back up to bed.

The next morning Racetrack got onto a flight to Florida. Everyone but Cassia waved goodbye as he went through security. At home Cassia watched the clock and knew the minute he was gone. Feeling as if she couldn't breathe she leaned against the counter and tried desperately to take in air.

Suddenly she couldn't take it anymore. As if possessed she lashed out. Anything she found in her hands was thrown to the floor or flung at the cabinets. Plates, cups, her mother's figurines and the flower pots in the window shattered on impact. After what seemed like an eternity she let out a mournful cry and sank to the floor sobbing.

Hours later Aria and Mush let themselves into the house to check on her.

"I hope she's ok," Aria said quietly, having heard from Race and the others what had been going on.

"I'm sure it's hard but she'll be fine eventually," Mush said reassuringly.

"I hope so but…wait do you hear that?"

"It sounds like crying."

"It's Cassia, come on." They hurried towards the sound and Aria's breath caught when they reached the kitchen. Cassia lay on the kitchen floor amongst the wreckage of dishes and collectables, curled up in a ball and still crying. "Oh God, Mush she's bleeding."

Mush sprang to action and carefully made his way through the broken glass and stoneware to Cassia's side. "Cass?" he asked softly. "Let's get ya out of here k?"

Her eyes met his and her tears fell faster. "He's gone, he left me."

"I know sweetheart, but it's going to be ok."

"It'll never be ok," she whispered, her eyes closing.

Mush felt a stab of pain at his heart for his friend and turned to Aria. "Call the others ok? I'll get her out of here." As Aria rushed to the phone he gathered the tiny girl in his arms and carried her out.

Half an hour later everyone was there, even Jack since he'd gotten out of the hospital the day before. They had patched Cassia up and were sitting with her constantly. Late that afternoon they left her staring at the news and everyone talked in hushed tones in the kitchen.

"She doesn't seem to be getting any better," Issy said worriedly.

"It'll take time. She feels abandoned," Davie supplied.

"Maybe we should just let her work through it by herself," Les said.

Aria shook her head. "I don't think it's safe to leave her alone. You guys didn't see the kitchen."

"I just wish there was something we could do for her," Issy said, pulling Spot's arms tighter around her body.

The conversation stopped abruptly when they heard the scream from the living room. They rushed into the kitchen and found Cassia on her knees in front of the television shaking her head.

"No, no, no!"

"Cass what is it?" Cordy asked.

All she did was shake her head again. She crumpled to the floor sobbing 'no'. They hurried to her side then stopped cold.

The usually perky local newscaster's voice transmitted gravely out of the set, paired with the horrific scene of a fiery crash. "Once again, a plane has gone down about one-hundred miles outside of Miami. The plane departed from the local airport this morning and went down on its way to Tallahassee Florida. No word yet on the cause of this horrible tragedy, but we have been informed that there are no survivors."

And they knew.


	5. Memory

Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies characters.

Racetrack was dead; the awful truth of it hung over them all like a heavy black cloud. For a long while the only sound in the room was that of muffled crying and Cassia's great heaving sobs. What could have been hours or minutes later the pixie like girl slid from Issy's arms and left the room. Issy was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of Cassia's door shutting. She turned her head and her eyes immediately found Spot. He looked stunned, like someone had slapped him in the face. Tears were drying on his cheeks even as more fell. His best friend was dead. Issy slowly raised herself from the floor and went to him.

Cassia's parents found them all hours later. After a painful explanation everyone attempted to coax Cassia out of her room, but it was to no avail. Eventually Cass's parents sent everyone home to try and get some sleep with tearful regrets.

Rather than go home Issy called her parents at her grandparents' to tell them what had happened and not the worry if she didn't answer at home then went to the apartment with Spot. They went straight to his room and Spot turned his back to undress as Issy slipped into one of his t-shirts and a pair of boxers. Tears came unbidden to his eyes as his gaze landed on Race's forever empty bed. Heavily lashed lids closed over vivid blue eyes as he felt Issy's arms close around his waist.

"I can't believe it," she whispered shakily. "It doesn't seem possible."

"I know, but it's real," was all Spot could manage. Turning he pulled Issy into his arms and held her for a long while. Then, though they were holding each other tight, they lay awake for a long time. Sleep was chased away by memories and grief.

The next morning Aria woke feeling blissfully safe and warm, and at first she couldn't remember why she would be in Mush's arms. Then it hit her like a truck, and the tears started. Mush woke as the first hit his arm.

"Hey, hey babe don't cry," he said soothingly, brushing a hand over her hair.

"I can't help it," she said desperately. "I can't bear the thought that he's gone. We'll never play poker again, we'll never go to the movies or have dinner, or even just laugh together, ever again."

Mush's heart clenched. "I know, I know."

In the next room Issy slowly woke up. She reached for Spot and frowned when she found the bed empty. Rubbing her sore eyes she rose and padded from the room. She passed Cordy asleep on the couch and followed the smell of toast to the kitchen. She found Spot cooking breakfast barefoot in a pair of sweats. Since he hadn't heard her coming she seized the rare opportunity to take every inch of him in.

He always managed to amaze her. Though he wasn't tall by any standard she had never cared. Since she was tiny it worked just fine for both of them. There was an incredible amount of strength in the lithe form, despite the fact that he was small. As he turned from toaster to oven and retrieved pans and boxes from numerous shelves she noted the discreet play of muscles along his back as he moved. Though she couldn't see his face she knew intuitively that the gorgeous blue eyes she so adored would be serious, his face weary and sad. Feeling an intense need for contact she stepped into the room and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her hands to his chest. Spot's hands came to rest on hers as she pressed her cheek against the strong warmth of his back.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Hey. How long have you been up?"

"Not long. I followed my nose out here. I was watching you."

She could see the inquisitive look in her mind's eye even as it crossed his face. "Why's that?" He turned so that they were face to face.

"Because I love you and because you constantly amaze me." He kissed her softly and he felt a tear fall on his cheek.

"Is."

"I just can't stop thinking that Cass will never get to kiss Race again; he'll never hold her again. They wanted to get married Spot, and now it won't ever happen. I don't know if she's ever going to be okay again."

He held her tight and kissed her forehead softly. "We'll be there for her, all of us. Somehow we'll all get through it together."

It wasn't long before everyone was up and moving. As Harmony helped Jack into a chair Cordy broke the silence.

"I've got a message from Cassia's mom. She still won't come out of her room. The only thing she wants is some of Race's clothes."

"Is that a good idea?" Jack asked.

"I don't think so, but they're worried that telling her no could just make things worse."

"Maybe it'll help her ta be closer to him somehow. Maybe it'll help her heal," Spot commented.

"Maybe, but I'm not sure," Harmony said quietly.

Mush passed around a plate of toast and shook his head. "It's going to be hard for her no matter what. Maybe the best we can do for her is what she wants."

After a shaky start to the morning everyone begged off from work and they took up residence in Cassia's living room, promising to call her parents if anything changed.

"I just wish we were able to stay home with her." Cassia's mother shook her head. Her eyes, so like her daughters, filled with tears. "We hope to hear from you."

Hours later the only thing they had managed to get Cass to open the door for was the small pile of sweats and clothes they handed to her. After that their pleas and reassurances went unanswered.

Sometime around two that afternoon Cordelia got to her feet. "I haven't talked to her yet, let me try." Everyone agreed wearily and she climbed the stairs to her friend's room. She sat down on the floor and leaned against the door. "Cass, it's Cordy, I just wanted to talk to you."

She was met only by silence.

"Ok or I could just talk. Look I can't even begin to fathom what you're going through right now. I can only imagine that the pain is unbearable, that you feel like it'll never get better." She thought she heard some small movement and pressed on. "I've never experienced anything like this before. It's hard enough for me and the others and he was only our friend, not the love of our lives."

"Cordy," Davie whispered urgently from the bottom of the stairs. They had all heard her talking and he was certain she was treading on a dangerous path.

She just shook her head and continued. "I know you feel like you'll never be whole again Cass and maybe you won't be. But I know you could be something close to whole, but not if you don't try." She shook her head. "This isn't the way Cass, you'll destroy yourself. Please come out and let us help you."

Despite the hope Cordy had felt a moment before; Cassia didn't give any sign of giving in. Cordy reached up and pressed her hand against the door.

"We're here when you need us," she said softly. Looking up she saw Davie in front of her, and feeling suddenly weak, she accepted the hand he offered.

"At least you tried," he said reassuringly as he guided her down the stairs.

She turned to him with tears shining in her deep brown eyes. "I don't think it will be enough."

They were all sitting around the kitchen table with Cassia's parents that night when she walked in. In a pair of large sweats and a well worn poker t-shirt she hugged her arms around her body tightly. She looked like a shadow of herself, pale and gaunt, her huge eyes swimming with grief.

When she spoke her voice was hoarse and sad. "I want to do something… something to remember…" Her voice cracked and she took a shuddering breath. "Like a memorial ceremony."

"Of course," her father told her. "I think that would be just great pumpkin."

She couldn't quite force the smile onto her face, but she tried. "Thank you." She directed the comment at Cordy.

"We'll take care of it Cass, but it may take a few days."

"That's okay." Without another word she turned and walked away again.

After she had left her mother looked around at them all with tears swimming in her eyes. "It's a start."

Three days later they held their simple memorial ceremony in an open field near the apartment, placing mementos such as a deck of cards and an old newsie's cap on a simple stone. They all spoke in turn, sharing memories and thoughts. At last the guys started a sweet rendition of Seize the Day.

As the others cried silently Cassia bent to drop a flower next to the other items and her vision blurred. She felt the world close in around her and it hit her again, as hard as it had the first day. Stumbling to her feet she ran.

Hours later no one had any sign of Cassia. Her parents were worried sick, but everyone assured them that she was safe and probably just needed some time to herself. Though still worried, everyone scattered to their various destinations for the night.

Issy's parents had taken her brothers to visit their grandparents the week before, and since she had been unable to get work off she and Spot had the house to themselves. They lay together on the couch in comfortable silence for a long while. Issy's hand played absently up and down his arm as they rested in the quiet but stopped abruptly when he spoke.

"Marry me Issy."

"What?"

She fell ungracefully onto her back as he sat up. "Marry me."

She pressed her suddenly shaking hands against her heart and squeezed her eyes shut. "Ok, ok just give me a second here." Her eyes flew open and she sat up, pressing her hands to his face. "Are you sick, high, out of your mind?"

"I figured that might be your first answer," he said as he stood and began to pace.

"Spot, I love you more than anything in this world, but we're only 18. I start college soon, we both work part time, how would we make it work?"

"I don't know, but we would somehow."

She shook her head. "We can't. What would my parents think, what would everyone think."

"Damn what everyone would think!"

She stood and stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Spot I want to marry you one day, but now? After everything that's happened?"

He threw his arms up. "All the more reason to after everything that's happened, everything that's gone on the past coupla a days has just made me realize that I never want to lose you. We coulda lost Jack, I lost Racetrack. Cassia and Race never get ta be together again, but we've got each other. We've been talking about getting married, so why not now? Why's the time make such a big difference." He took her hands and kissed her softly. "I love you Is, and all I can think lately is what if I hadn't ever gotten here? What if we hadn't crash landed in Aria's backyard? I hate the thought, but it makes me want to seize the time we've got even more. Because what if I hadn't gotten here?"

By this time there were tears shining in her eyes. She took both of his hands in hers and shook her head. "It was always meant to be you. Even if you hadn't gotten here the way you did, somehow it would have been you. And now I'm going to marry you Spot, and we're going to make each other deliriously happy."


	6. Teardrops and the Rain

Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies characters

At first Cassia had no idea where she was. She had run away from her friends and family, trying to flee from the feelings and the reality. Despite the support of everyone around her, she knew she was completely and utterly alone. Anyone could tell her different, but without Racetrack she felt entirely on her own. When she came back to awareness she realized that she had come to their park, the park where she and Race had their first real date without Les along and where they had come so many times since.

As she wandered through the little park she trailed her hand over the equipment, strangely relishing the smoothness of the little monkey bars and balance beams. She came to the swings and sat down heavily on her swing. As she began to pump her legs and gain height, memories came to her unbidden. She remembered the movie where they had thrown popcorn at her principal at the movies and their first kiss after they had spied on Issy and Spot. She soared higher and tears began to course down her cheeks. She thought of their first real date at the park and the night they'd gone farther than either had before.

Then she remembered the last time she'd seen him, the fight they'd had and the rage she'd flown into moments after his departure. As if feeling her pain the heavens opened and one of those rare summer downpours began. As she remembered the details of that last day, her legs went limp and she slowly came to a stop. She slid bonelessly off of the swing and to her knees.

"Why?" she asked quietly. Then she turned her face to the sky and raged. "Why? Tell me why! Why him?"

Her body was wracked with sobs as she beat her fists into the ground.

"Why? You could have taken anyone! Why…. Why?" She gave a low keening wail and collapsed on the grass. The rain poured down on top of her as she lay their sobbing.

"Cass."

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "No, you're gone."

"Cass."

She heard the voice again and raised herself off of the ground. She turned to see the figure approaching her and shook her head fiercely this time. "You're not here, you're gone!" she screamed.

He shook his head as he came closer. "I'm here Cass."

"No, I'm going crazy, you can't be here."

By then he was within arms reach, and his face came into focus. "You're not crazy hon,  
I'm right here."

She pressed her hands to her chest to relieve the pressure that had settled there. She regarded him with wild, wide eyes. "You're dead."

He dropped to his knees in front of her. "I'm alive Cass, and I'm right here. You can reach out and touch me."

She shook her head but reached a shaking hand towards his face. She slowly touched his cheek, and when she met warm solid flesh she let out a shuddering breath. It was suddenly all too much. She fought for every intake of breath and failed. "I can't breathe," she managed to gasp out between uncontrollable tears.

He took her face gently in his hands and his brown eyes held her violet. "Okay baby breathe. Just take one breath at a time. I'm here, we're okay, everythin's gonna be fine ok?"

She nodded and her breathing slowly evened. With tears coursing down her cheeks she fell into his arms. "You're here, you're alive!"

"I'm alive, and I'm so sorry babe."

She pulled back to look in his eyes again and shook her head. "It doesn't matter; nothing matters except you being here."

He gathered her fully in his arms and kissed her passionately. "I'm here."

The next morning Cassia woke up calm and content, with a pair of familiar arms wrapped around her. She opened bleary eyes and warmth flooded over her at the sight of Racetrack. Though it was the last thing she expected, tears immediately flooded into her eyes. As if sensing her distress Race's eyes fluttered open and he looked down at her with a slight frown.

"Hey now, no more of that," he said quietly, brushing a few tears from her face.

"I can't help it; I still can't believe you're here."

"I know, and I'm so sorry for puttin you through all a this."

She shook her head. "I told you, it doesn't matter. You're okay, you're here. That's enough."

He kissed her softly then rolled out of bed, pulling on sweats as he headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Breakfast," he said with a smile.

She laughed whole heartedly before tugging on an oversized shirt and following him to the kitchen. As she sat down at the table Race handed her an envelope. "What's this?"

He shrugged. "It was on the table, parents must a left it."

She opened the letter and read out loud. " 'Cassia, it may be late when you read this. We saw the two of you this morning and couldn't bear to wake you. We can't begin to tell you how happy we are. Welcome back from the dead Racetrack, love Mom and Dad.'" Cassia took a moment to absorb the entire letter before turning bright read. "Race you realize what this means?"

"They know I'm back?" he said distractedly, not turning from the stove.

"No, they know we're together."

"Hon if they didn't figure that out before then they've got some problems," he said wryly.

If possible she turned an even brighter shade of red. "Race, if they came in this morning then they must know we've…"

He turned to her and smiled. "Sweetheart I think they've known about that pretty much since the first time it happened."

"What?! Why do you say that?"

"You're parents are smarter than you give them credit for." He came over and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry about it, we've got bigger problems."

"Such as?" she asked.

"Such as how to gently break the news that I'm back from the dead."

Meanwhile, everyone at the apartment was frantic.

"As if there wasn't already enough to deal with," Cordy muttered, passing the note they had found to David.

"They can't help how they feel Cordy," Les said quietly.

"It is an awful lot to take at once," Harmony chimed in.

"Well you know what they say, when it rains it pours," Aria said with a sigh.

Mush, somewhere in his own world and not paying attention at all to the conversation spoke up then. "It stopped raining hours ago."

After a moment of stunned silence the entire room burst into laughter, much to Mush's intense confusion.

"What did I say?"

Aria fell into his arms and kissed him soundly. "Oh baby you sure know how to cut the tension in a room."

They were all recovering from the bout of hysterical laughter when Cassia walked in. Everyone was on their feet in an instant, all talking at once. Cass held her hand up for silence.

"Before for you ask I'm fine." She grinned and her violet eyes shone with joy. "I'm great actually, and I have a surprise for all of you."

"A surprise?" Aria asked. "Cass what on earth is going on?"

"This is." She disappeared from view for a moment then returned, pulling Racetrack behind her, grinning all the while.

The uproar that followed was hard to decipher. Harmony practically launched herself across the room at him, the guys crowded around him and exchanged hugs and slaps on the back. Les held on to him like he'd never let go, and Cordy and Aria took their turns with bone crushing hugs.

"What happened?" Aria asked, brushing tears from her eyes as they all sat down.

Race shook his head and pulled Cassia into his lap as he sat. She snuggled against him contentedly and listened along with the others to his story.

"They pulled me off of the plane right before it was supposed to take off. For some reason they had tagged me as a suspicious person. It only got worse when they got their hands on all a my papers and stuff. They thought the documents were forged and they've been holding me in airport security. They only let me go yesterday and when Cass wasn't at home I figured she'd probably go ta the park. That's where I found her."

"It's so crazy, wonderful though," Harmony said with a smile.

"It is," Cassia said as she brushed away a few tears.

"I just have one question," Race said. "Where's Spot and Issy?"

Davie sighed and handed him the note. "See that's the thing, they're in Vegas."

"Vegas?"

"They're going to get married, and we're going after them," Harmony told him.

Hours later they were in the middle of nowhere in two separate cars. Aria pulled into the lone fast food place on the road and Harmony followed her. Once they had all piled out of the cars they grabbed dinner and took a break to sit down at the tables while they ate.

"I hope we get there in time ta talk them out of this," Jack muttered.

Harmony smacked him upside the head. "We aren't going to stop them. We're going because they're our friends and we want to be there on the most important day of their lives."

"And we want them to know Race is alive," Mush told him.

They all fell silent until they finished their meals but David spoke up as they cleaned their trays. "I got the most sleep last night so I'll drive in our car the rest of the way. That way everyone else will have a chance to get some sleep."

"I'll take over in Harmony's car," Race told them.

With that they got back in the cars and soon everyone but Race was asleep in Harmony's car. In Aria's Davie and Cordy remained awake.

"You should get some sleep," Davie told her. "It's been a long couple of days for everyone."

"I know, I want to stay up," she told him.

"You sure?"

Her eyes met his straight on as he turned to her briefly. "I'm sure."

Davie nodded and gave her a small smile before turning back to the road. He could barely conceal his surprise when she reached over and twined her fingers with his on the gear shift. He squeezed her hand once and though they didn't talk the rest of the rip, it was enough.

When they got in to Vegas that night they searched the parking lots of the chapels on the way into town. They found Issy's Bug in the lot of the fifth chapel and quickly parked and rushed in.

In the chapel, Issy and Spot were standing in front of the minister.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here…"

"NO!!"


	7. Old, New, Borrowed, Black and Blue?

Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies characters

Spot and Issy, standing at the front of the chapel turned in surprise towards the door at the sound of their bellowing friends.

"What are you guys doing here?" Issy asked amazedly as they skidded to a stop in front of that pair.

"You didn't think we'd actually let you get married without anyone here did you?" Cassia asked.

Issy's eyes widened and she wrapped her friend in a hug. "Oh Cass I'm so glad you're okay, how are you?"

"I'm great, fabulous even, and we brought you a sort of wedding present."

They parted down the middle to reveal Racetrack and for a moment Spot and Issy stood speechless. Race came up to them and Issy threw herself into his arms, tears falling freely.

"I'm so glad you're okay. What happened?"

Race shook his head. "Later, you've gotta get married now." He turned to Spot and shook his head. "So I guess it's not so easy to get rid a me."

It was then that, for the first time since she'd met them, Issy watched as Spot embraced Race like a brother, and her heart opened to him even more. As they pulled apart Issy looked around and saw that there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

"Well," Aria said thickly, brushing tears from her cheeks. "This isn't going to work at all. Issy should at least be wearing white.

They all zoomed in on the one person in the group wearing white and Jack's eyes widened. "What?"

Harmony patted him on the shoulder and smiled up at him sweetly. "Strip sweetheart."

Everybody laughed at the frankness of her speech and she and Davie supported Jack as he pulled off his white button-down and handed it to Issy. "I'm just glad I was wearing something under it," he said with a laugh.

Issy put the shirt on over her tank top then rose up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you."

The minister cleared his throat and smiled at them. "Are we ready to begin now?"

They nodded and as the others took their seats Issy looked over to see tears shining in Spot's eyes. "You okay? It's not often I see tears in those baby blues of yours."

He took hold of her hands and shook his head. "I'm just happy. I'm the happiest I've ever been."

She smiled up at him. "I know exactly how you feel. I love you"

"I love you too.

Half an hour later it was done. An hour later they stood in the parking lot with a bottle of sparkling cider and a bunch of paper cups, laughing as they analyzed the pictures they'd taken in the little chapel on Aria's digital camera.

"Harmony why do you look like someone just pinched your ass?" Cordy asked.

Harmony raised her eyebrows at Jack. "Because somebody did."

Jack showed them all his best boyish grin. "I just couldn't help myself."

"I just wish you guys could have a real honeymoon," Cassia said.

Spot wrapped his arms around Issy's waist and she leaned back against him with a smile. "We'll get a real one someday, but now we need to get home and talk to Issy's family. It's important that they know." He kissed her hair and added quietly, "I just hope your brothers let me out of the house alive."

"It'll be fine, they love me, and they love you."

"Yeah, plus they wouldn't want their sister widowed at 18," Race deadpanned.

"Ha ha," Spot managed weakly.

Issy held her hand out and regarded her ring critically. "I can't believe I'm married."

Spot held his hand out next to hers for a moment before turning it over and lacing his fingers through hers. "It's crazy isn't it? Well Mrs. Conlon, ready ta face the family?"

Issy pressed a hand to her fluttering stomach. "Mrs. Conlon, I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing that. I'm ready."

They climbed into Issy's Bug and watched their friends walk to the car. Cordy and Davie's joined hands didn't escape their notice and Issy smiled.

"Everything worked out so perfectly."

Two days later the group waited anxiously at the apartment for the newlyweds to return from Issy's parents.

"Ten to one says one of em punches Spot," Race announced.

"Twenty bucks says they didn't," Cass told him.

"You're on babe," he said with a grin.

Speculation went on until Les spotted the Bug pulling into the parking lot. Moments later Issy opened the door to the apartment, smiling widely. Spot came after her, carrying the first of Issy's moving boxes and sporting a spectacularly colored black eye.

"Pay up babe," Race told his girlfriend. Cass grumbled but pulled the cash from her wallet and handed it to him. "Thanks." He kissed her briefly before turning to his best friend.

"Don't even think about sayin a word Race," Spot growled.

"Ah, there's the Spot Conlon we all know and love," Mush crooned. "Surly, bad tempered, the old you."

Issy shook her head. "Come on guys, be nice. He had a hard day. Imagine looking my father and brothers in the face and telling them we'd run off to Vegas and to get married."

Ever man in the room winced.

"Anyway it went okay after we got the punchin out a the way," Spot told them. "Now make yourselves useful and go get the other boxes outa the car."

The guys grumbled but Mush, Race and Davie went out to help Spot.

"You ever think we'd end up here?" Race asked as Spot handed him a box.

"Never, but then everything that's happened hasn't exactly been normal has it?"

"Not even close," Mush called over his shoulder.

"I guess the way to look at it is that things change," Davie said frankly.

"Yeah, and sometimes they change for the better."


End file.
